What Is the Story About?
An unknown man is shot dead in a little town called Margrave in Georgia. Since Margrave is filled with only 1,700 people, word travels fast about the murder after his body is discovered. An unknown man enters a local diner in Margrave before he gets arrested in suspicion of the murder. However, there is one problem – this man, Jack Reacher, was travelling in a bus at the time of the murder. Still, what is a 6-foot 5-inch tall, 250-something pound heavy veteran doing in Margrave? And is he really not connected to the murder in any way?
Performances?
The Reacher series is about its protagonist, Jack Reacher, and Alan Ritchson has been perfectly cast to play the role of this wandering veteran. The actor is a step-up from Tom Cruise for sure, however, it is not just because of Ritchson’s intimidating physique, but also for his ability to bring levity to situations which Tom Cruise could not with this character. The size helps though. The script has a few problems down the line, but Ritchson works through the muddy portions well enough to give us a solid performance. Also, his physique makes his action sequences even more impressive. The other two main characters in the show are Roscoe Conklin and Oscar Finlay and surprisingly, both characters have a lot more to do on screen. Roscoe is played by Willa Fitzgerld while Oscar is played by Malcolm Goodwin and they both do a really good job. Both characters start off a bit generic, but with some nuanced acting, the actors show that Roscoe and Finlay have a lot more depth than we actually knew. Also, Ritchson, Fitzgerald and Goodwin have good onscreen chemistry and they work their lines well off each other.
A special mention for Maria Sten, who plays the veteran, Frances Neagley. Sten gets less screen time when compared to most of the side characters but whenever she makes an appearance on screen, things get a little bit more exciting.
Analysis
Reacher, surprisingly, has the perfect premise. The show starts off a bit slow, showing us the murder, before Reacher rolls into town at the exact wrong moment to get arrested. After proving his innocence but still forced to spend time in jail, he is ready to leave Margrave as soon as possible. Well, that is before the perfect excuse for him to stay in Margrave appears – the person who is killed is his brother, Joe. After the police chief and his wife are brutally killed the next day, Reacher proves that Roscoe and Finlay are the only cops not under the payroll of the massive corporation behind these killings, the corporation presumed to be Kliner Industries. With the mayor firmly in their pocket and forcing cops to look in another direction, Finlay realises that he needs Reacher’s help for their investigation to progress properly. With time, their investigation takes them to neighbouring States (and a few others), with the plot becoming bigger and more convoluted. The first three episodes set the show up brilliantly – each of the three characters has a reason to be invested in the investigation, the plot shows us how deep the rabbit hole goes and the best part, we have an idea about our antagonists from the get-go. But the last couple of episodes ends up giving us a cliched plot and predictable ending – fully included with the female lead kissing the male lead after he walks away from an explosion after killing the main antagonist one-vs-one.
The problem is that the ending is unsatisfying. The setup for the show is so good, that we expected an ending just as brilliant – instead, we are left with a very average ending. And the main reason for the unsatisfactory feeling is the final antagonist. When we first see the killers covered in white, it is quite ominous and intimidating. The fact that there might be ex-military from Latin America involved in the murders only makes it more interesting (and scary). However, finding out that Dawson and KJ are the ones behind the killing spree is really disappointing. Teale’s turn as the antagonist is expected and his appearance as one doesn’t lesser the experience, while Picard’s somewhat predictable turn as the villain isn’t bad either. However, two unruly brats being the ones at the head of the organisation is painful to watch, even if it makes some sense since it is implied that KJ is somewhat unhinged. Their deaths are even more unsatisfying, with KJ’s final monologue being exceptionally bad, skip-worthy and totally predictable. The show easily could have been a must-watch series, but this barely average ending makes it just good enough. The cliched Roscoe vs Teale and Finlay vs Picard can be skipped – except to see the predictable deaths of the bad guys.
Still, the first two-thirds of the show is worth the watch and should be watched. A show like Reacher needs a lot of things going for it – a good cast, good editing, direction, screenplay, etc. The show has pretty much everything it needs, except a better final act for the script. The flashbacks into Reacher’s past is a nice touch, even if it is a little suspicious that the young Reacher boys always find themselves in a fight. The onscreen chemistry between the three actors – Ritchson, Fitzgerald and Goodwin is great and their interactions help bring levity to scenes which get a little too serious. But the MCU stylized ready-with-a-quip at any moment gets irritating after a while. Showing Reacher’s intelligence onscreen is also a plus point – even if it gets a little too ridiculous at times; almost like Sherlock Holmes.
Another point that deserves a mention is the music. Reacher has some brilliant music that matches the tone and situation and that makes the show even better – even during the irritating and/or slow times. The direction, editing and cinematography does some good work – with some brilliant camerawork helping audiences understand a situation without someone providing exposition. Callbacks such as Finlay’s smoking, Reacher’s penchant for killing and Roscoe’s mentor all work well in the series and help in furthering the relationship between the main characters. The action sequences are quite good as well, including some parts in the warehouse fight/confrontation scene. The CGI fire is obvious and a little annoying to look at.
Overall, Reacher is a good series that could easily have been brilliant with a few tweaks here and there. The premise is interesting enough to get you hooked, the investigation will keep you invested and the quips, callbacks, music and action sequences will help you through to the end. A show worth checking out.
Other Artists?
There are a lot of side characters that are worth a mention, specifically for their portrayal. Willie C. Carpenter does a decent job as the barber, Mosley, even if the character barely has anything to do with the story. Bruce McGill and Martin Roach do a good job as the antagonists, Teale and Picard. Even A.J. Simmons does a decent job as Dawson. However, we are disappointed by Chris Webster’s KJ. While the actor does do a decent job as the bratty son of a millionaire, his turn as the primary antagonist is downright maddening.
Lesli Fray as Josephine Reacher and Kristin Kreuk as Charlene Hubble deserve a mention as well.
Music and Other Departments?
As mentioned earlier, the music in the show is brilliant. It sets the mood, be it for a fight, situation, action, drama, etc. The director had a good team to help him with editing and cinematography, with the camerawork deserving a special mention. The stunt teams have done well to give us some brilliant choreographed fight scenes and the script supervisor does a good job in maintaining continuity.
Highlights?
Premise & Main Story
First Half
Alan Ritchson’s Performance
Engaging Investigative Work
Action Sequences
Drawbacks?
Predictable, Cliched & Unsatisfying Ending
Convenient Coincidences
An Irritating Villain
Final Warehouse Fight Scene
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. Worth a watch
Reacher Series Review by Binged Bureau
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